Poodles and Labs are getting Trained for Free as guide dogs By Guide Dogs Of The Desert

Imagine you are blind. You are standing on a street corner. How will you cross safely? 

Robert Maher, Executive Director of Guide Dogs of the Desert points out that we take it for granted how simple a process that is when you have sight. But imagine the difficulty if you can’t see.

Guide Dogs of the Desert is one of just 14 schools in the U.S. certified to prepare dogs as guide dogs. 

Labradors are the main breed they pick for the task, but the school specializes in standard poodles. They are intelligent, hypoallergenic and they do not shed. All advantages.

Puppies are bred on the 8-acre campus in Palm Springs, California, but sent out all over the country to be socialized and educated. Volunteer puppy-raisers are screened and signed on to foster them for 18-months. Regular video meetings on Zoom assure pups are making progress. 

Maher says, “These dogs pretty much receive greater training than you or I would give a personal pet. If you’re walking down the sidewalk for instance and there’s a manhole cover that’s open — these dogs will stop and not let you walk forward — no matter how much you try to tell that dog to go forward, it will resist you.”

When dogs are 2-years old, they are eligible to be matched to their new human, based on their skills and the person’s needs.  

These canine companions are provided to the blind at no-charge.